Collection delivery times

We operate a collection delivery service because most of our collections are held in closed book stacks not open for public browsing. Order material in advance via the catalogue and it will be delivered to the reading rooms for you to use.

Most items are kept on reserve in the reading rooms for 7 days from date of request. Items with special storage conditions are kept for 1 day only. 

Due to major building activity some of our collections are temporarily unavailable. This means that some requests for deliveries of Library material to the Reading Rooms will not be fulfilled. Please check the catalogue carefully to find out if your selection is impacted. Learn more

Delivery schedules

There are no collection deliveries to the reading rooms during evenings or on weekends. To use material on weekends, submit your requests through the catalogue before the cut-off times listed below.

• Deliveries from onsite storage
• Deliveries from offsite storage

Deliveries from onsite storage

This material is kept on site at the National Library of Australia. Request your material within the times below. When material is requested during the time periods below, delivery is usually within 60 minutes.

Material requested after the weekday cut-off will be delivered the next weekday, with the exception of material requested after 4.30pm on a Friday, which will be delivered the following Monday. Reading rooms are closed on public holidays, and so material requested after the cut-off on the previous regular weekday will be delivered on the next day that the reading rooms are open.

For example, to use onsite material on a Sunday, request it before 4.30pm on the previous Friday.

Special collections deliveries from onsite storage

Our special collections comprise manuscripts, pictures, maps, oral histories, rare books, sheet music, ephemera and select Asian-language collections, and are clearly identified in the Library’s catalogue. Special collections are delivered to the Special Collections Reading Room three times a day, as outlined below.

Some manuscript collections require four weeks' notice for viewing. These collections are clearly identified in the catalogue.

Deliveries from offsite storage

This material is kept at storage facilities in Canberra and is delivered to the National Library building once a day. To make the most of your time with offsite collection material, request it before 8am on the day you want to use it. Reading rooms are closed on public holidays, and material requested after the cut-off on the previous regular weekday will be delivered on the next day that the reading rooms are open.

For example, to use offsite material on a Monday, request it before 8am on the previous Friday. To use offsite material on a Wednesday where the day before has been a public holiday, request it before 8am on the previous Monday.

Collection material kept offsite is clearly identified in the catalogue and comprises mainly:

• printed newspapers published before 1 January 2011 (microfilm holdings are stored on site)
• overseas journals (magazines and serials) published before 1 January 2005
• some manuscripts collection material
• some overseas published material.

Check which reading room your offsite collection material will be delivered to, as the Special Collections Reading Room is not open on a Sunday, and so material delivered there will not be accessible if you visit on that day.